The national reckoning over racial inequality sparked by George Floyd’s murder two years ago has gone on behind closed doors inside America’s intelligence agencies
FILE - A sign stands outside the National Security Administration campus on in Fort Meade, Md., on June 6, 2013. The national reckoning over racial inequality sparked by George Floyd's murder two years ago has gone on behind closed doors inside America's intelligence agencies. Shortly after his death, employees of the National Security Agency had a call to speak to their director about racism and cultural misunderstandings.
“It’s going to be incremental,” said Stephanie La Rue, who was appointed this year to lead the intelligence community’s efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion. “We’re not going to see immediate change overnight. It’s going to take us a while to get to where we need to go.” A former NSA contractor alleged this year that racist and misogynistic comments often circulate on classified chatrooms intended for intelligence work. The contractor, Dan Gilmore, wrote in a blog postfor reporting his complaints to higher-ups. A spokeswoman for Haines, Nicole de Haay, declined to comment on Gilmore's allegations but said employees who"engage in inappropriate conduct are subject to a variety of accountability mechanisms, including disciplinary action.
Latinos make up about 18% of the American population but just 7% of the roughly 100,000-person intelligence community and 3.5% of senior officers. Black officers comprise 12% of the community — the same as the U.S. population — but 6.5% at the most senior level. And while minorities comprise 27% of the total intelligence workforce, just 15% of senior executives are people of color.
“The bottom line is the decision making leadership levels are void of credible minority participation,” Gant said. Additional quiet changes are taking place across the agencies. Officials say the changes were in process before Floyd's death, though conversations held with employees brought new urgency to diversity issues.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
2024 Ford Mustang caught benchmarking Mach 1 in spy photosFord is benchmarking the 2024 Mustang against its high performance Mach 1 as we can see from these new spy photos of a prototype testing in the field.
Read more »
A’s struggle at the plate again in series-opening loss to TwinsThe A’s are the first team since the 1910 White Sox to hit below .200 through at least 38 games.
Read more »
LIVE: Biden condemns racism, mourns new victims in BuffaloIn a speech at a nearby community center, Biden plans to call for stricter gun laws and urge Americans to reject racism and embrace the nation’s diversity, the White House said.
Read more »
U.S. agency opens probe into fatal Tesla crash that killed threeA special crash investigation has been opened into a fatal Tesla crash this month in California that resulted in three deaths, the U.S. transportation safety agency said on Wednesday.
Read more »
ConocoPhillips sues Alaska agency to keep well data from giant North Slope oil discovery secretThe oil company says it has spent tens of millions of dollars to acquire its leases and could lose its competitive advantage if the well data is released.
Read more »
New problem found at Millennium Tower, now tilting over 25 inchesThe blighted tower fix may have hit another wall, literally.
Read more »